


Strong Enough

by Carebeark5



Category: The Young and the Restless
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-15 23:25:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16942704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carebeark5/pseuds/Carebeark5
Summary: Continues where the 12/10/18 episode left off.





	Strong Enough

Mariah helped Tessa into their apartment she was still shaking and silently sobbing as Mariah wrapped an arm tighter around her waist. "My keys," Tessa said turning to go back and look for them from where she had dropped them earlier. "No it's ok, I'll get them you sit," Mariah told her as she opened the door and found the keys still on the floor where Tessa had dropped them earlier. 

With a sigh, she dropped both sets of keys on the table. Tonight had not turned out the way she had imagined it would but it had made her realize what was important to her and that was Tessa. She had planned to meet up with Tessa to end things once and for all but hearing her girlfriend sobbing and utterly terrified on the phone had made her realize that she couldn't lose her. She loved her too much to just throw away what they had. Sure it wouldn't be easy to get over the lying and the feelings of betrayal because of what she had done but they could do it if they did it together. 

"Here we need to get you warmed up," she said turning to see Tessa staring off into space, she was still in shock and Mariah couldn't blame her with everything she had gone through tonight. She helped her to take off her jacket and scarf and then grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch wrapping her in it. Bending she unlaced her boots and pulled them off tossing them by the door. 

"Thank you." Tessa sobbed tears still dripping from her face.

"Hey, you don't have to thank me," she told her dropping down onto the couch next to her as she wrapped her arms around her holding her close. As soon as she did Tessa broke down again, full on sobbing. She knew it was what she needed, she needed to be able to let out all the fear, anger, and frustration she was feeling but Mariah hated seeing her like this. Tessa was always so strong and brave and she had to be seeing as she had to take care of herself and her little sister her entire life and seeing her like this, seeing her so broken nearly broke Mariah as well but she knew she needed to remain strong for her.

She still couldn't believe Nikki and Victoria would do something like this, that they would take it this far. Sure, they could both be pretty ruthless when it came to business and their personal lives but this, she just didn't think they could be that heartless.

"Here I'll make you some tea," Mariah said pulling away from their embrace to head to the kitchen. She wanted to feel like she was doing something and being helpful in some way. 

"No, please don't leave me."

"I'm just going to the kitchen, I'll be right back, ok. I'm not leaving you, do you hear me." She said lifting Tessa's chin so that she could look into her eyes. She just nodded wrapping herself more fully into the blanket. It absolutely broke Mariah's heart to see her this way she quickly put the kettle on and dropped two tea bags into mugs. After pouring the tea she made her way back over to Tessa who had laid down on her side clutching the blanket closer around her body.

"You must be exhausted, do you want to pull out the bed so you can sleep?" Mariah asked as she ran her hand down Tessa's back. Shaking her head no, Tessa glanced up at her with a tear-streaked face and said, "Will you just hold me?" 

"Of course," Mariah told her dropping onto the couch as she pulled Tessa into her arms.

Mariah wasn't sure just how long they lay there wrapped in each other's arms but she could tell that Tessa had finally fallen into a fitful sleep. She knew she had to talk to Sharon about all this, her mom needed to know how far Nikki and Victoria had taken this whole thing. She was still in shock that they would treat Tessa that way even after knowing that she had nothing to do with JT's body being moved and she had handed over all the evidence she had and yet they still attacked her for no reason. Sure Tessa had lied and blackmailed them but what they did was despicable, for them to just leave her there alone, cold, and with no idea where she was or how to get home.

She didn't want to leave Tessa alone in case she woke up but she knew she couldn't just call Sharon she needed to see her in person. So she wrote a quick note just in case Tessa woke up and hurried over to the ranch hoping to be back before she even knew she was gone.

Sharon was surprised when the door burst open but relaxed when she realized it was just Mariah. "Oh hey sweetie what are you doing here aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"Yeah, I took the day off. Look I need to talk to you..." Mariah started wringing her hands at the thought of what Tessa had been through at what they had done to her. She had never been so angry in her entire life.

"She told you didn't she? Tessa told you what we did," Sharon knew she couldn't trust Tessa to keep her mouth shut.

"No, she didn't tell me you were there at all, she said it was just Victoria and Nikki. I was shocked to believe that they would do something like this but you, how could you do that to her?"

"I didn't want to but..."

"But what? You just had to go along with it, you did have a choice you know the choice to be a decent human being. You, with all your charity work and working at the police station helping girls who had been victimized and yet you do the same thing to someone else. To someone I love."

"Mariah I'm so sorry, I just..."

"No, there is absolutely nothing you can say to make this better. Do understand that when Tessa called me she was alone and freezing with absolutely no idea where she was or how to get home. Do you realize that she is absolutely traumatized by what you did to her? She had already been through enough in her life and now this. I just, I can't be around you right now." She said turning to go.

"Mariah wait. Please don't go just wait a minute."

"No, nothing you can say will make this better right now and besides I need to get back to Tessa."

*****

Opening the door to their apartment Mariah was so happy to see Tessa still fast asleep. Dropping her keys on the table by the door she stood there and just stared at her girlfriend. Tessa hadn't told her that Sharon had been a part of this because she knew what it would do to her relationship with her mom and she had been trying to protect her once again. 

She hadn't really let that sink in when Tessa had said she had gone through with the blackmail to protect her and her sister that she was scared of those men. She had been scared they were coming after Mariah and she had tried to keep her safe but Mariah had been so caught up in the betrayal and in what she did to Sharon and the rest of them that she hadn't really thought about what Tessa had said about why she had done it. But now she knew, she understood it, she understood how scared Tessa had been. 

Tessa cried out in her sleep, kicking her blanket off in the process. Mariah quickly went to her and gently began stroking her hair, she moved the hair that had fallen in her face tucking it behind her ear. All the while whispering that it was going to be alright. "It's ok baby, we'll get through this together. We're strong enough together."


End file.
